SEYMOUR — With only a week gone by since Trinity Lutheran played in the Class A Volleyball State Finals, the Cougars’ top three girls basketball players are still rounding into basketball shape.
But in Saturday afternoon’s season opener, the Class A No. 4 Cougars looked to be in midseason form. They scored the game’s first 19 points and went on to hand Hauser a 77-41 defeat.
“Last year at Hauser, we got beat, and I wanted to come back with a vengeance,” Trinity junior Sydney Jaynes said. “I wanted to win so bad, and those girls just came out ready to go. I’m just so proud of them because we played amazing.”
Jaynes, who is receiving Division I interest, scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. The Cougars’ other D-I prospect, freshman Bailey Tabeling, went for 31 points in her high school debut.
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“It was so much fun finally being able to be in high school and play with Sydney Jaynes, who has college recruits every single day,” Tabeling said. “We have so much chemistry on the court, and it just makes playing a lot easier. You know where everyone is at, you know what their abilities are and what they’re not capable of doing the best.”
Senior Hannah Sabotin, who, like Jaynes and Tabeling, played on the state runner-up volleyball team, added 11 points and 12 rebounds for Trinity. Both Jaynes and Sabotin put up double-doubles in the first half, which ended with a 46-15 Cougars advantage.
“There was only one time where I couldn’t catch my breath at all, but honestly, I just tried to push through and go for it,” Jaynes said. “It actually didn’t feel as bad as I thought it would because I was really scared. But it’s awesome.”
The Jets (3-2) were outscored by only five points in the second half.
“I told them, ‘Just try to win the second half and try get back,’” Hauser coach Chad Evans said. “We played a lot better the second half. We settled down and started doing some good things. I was pleased with the effort the second half. It was a lot better, but getting down 20 points in the first quarter doesn’t help.”
Freshman Kyleigh Parrott scored 18 of her 19 points in the second half to lead the Jets. Bree Hadley added 10 points, and Shelby Fugate grabbed nine rebounds.
Hauser was plagued by 18 turnovers.
“We knew going in they were going to be a pretty good team,” Evans said. “They did everything. They pressured us, and they came out ready to play, and we didn’t. We just didn’t execute what we were supposed to be doing.”
Trinity outrebounded the Jets 41-30 in the Cougars’ first game since falling to West Washington in last year’s sectional final.
“They were hungry because the last time we walked off the basketball court, it was as losers,” Trinity coach Mike Lang said.
But the Cougars returned most of their key players from last season and added a heralded talent in Tabeling.
“She’s been around this game a long time, and she’s just an athletic player,” Lang said. “She knows how to score and get to the basket. She makes a good complement to Syd and to Hannah down low.”
